From a Fangirl's Perspective

Supernatural for Noobs

Annyeong! I promised this in my Black Friday (Not a)Haul post. This series, Series for Noobs is the sister series to Bands for Noobs. The concept remains the same…I’ll be giving insight and introducing a television series just as I did my bands. For this Series for Noobs, I’ll be introducing Supernatural.

Supernatural is a popular Canadian television show. It originally aired on the CW in 2005. It continues to air on the CW and is currently running in its 11th season.

Supernatural follows two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester who are following in their father’s footsteps. The two boys are ‘hunters’ or people who hunt down monsters and inhuman creatures such as vampires and werewolves and fairies that are hurting or harming humans. Although originally the show debuted with trivial monsters and demons as the main villains, Supernatural has evolved to include Angels, Leviathans, Vampires, and much more. The show often falls back on biblical creatures and monsters that can be found in ancient histories such as Greek mythologies and more.

After his wife’s death, John Winchester becomes a hunter, and vows to spend his life protecting his family and those around him. He continually hunts for the age-old demon who killed Mary, and often runs into trouble along the way. As a result of their father’s lifestyle, Sam and Dean are forced to move around a lot. In comes Bobby, who is a close family friend and is also a Hunter. He often watched the boys when John was forced to leave for more than a few nights on business and acts as a second father to them. Sam and his father did not get along, which led to Sam’s college life, but Dean feels as though his little brother has abandoned their family and resented him for it until one night, his father disappears, leaving only his journal behind. Dean finds Sam and together, they look for John, but after they are left with little leads to follow, Sam returns home. However, he finds that his girlfriend Jessica is killed in the same mysterious way as their mother had. As the series progresses, Sam and Dean’s relationship evolves, and soon, they have both returned to the Hunter life. Throughout the series, new villains and heroes are quickly added. Despite the show’s serious undertone, there are many comedic scenes and episodes.

Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles)

He is the eldest son and Sam’s older brother. He always stuck by his father’s side. In the beginning of season 1 and halfway through season 2, his relationship with his brother is rather strained as he believes that Sam abandoned his father and him. However, throughout the seasons, their bond is strengthened and fortified. He goes so far as to even sell his soul in order to save his brother’s life in the end of season 3. At the end of season 4, Dean goes to hell, but is brought back by the addition of a new character Castiel. Dean has had many close calls, and has died many times. He has been turned into a vampire, has been to Hell, and was thrown in Purgatory as well. In season 8, he tries, but fails the trials in order to close the gates of hell. In seasons 9 and 10, he possess the Mark of Cain, and when he dies in the end of season 9, he comes back a demon until he is cured by Sam and Castiel. However, he still possess and fights with the Mark until the end of season 10 when Sam releases the Darkness in order to save his brother.

Dean can be seen as the ‘cool’ guy. He is often sexualized and lusts after beautiful women. He is usually the cynical one, and is the type to ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ which has often led to trouble for the two.

Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki)

While Dean is often seen as the ‘cool’ guy, Sam can be described as his ‘nerdy’ counterpart. He is tall and is often jokingly called ‘Moose’ by Crowley. He’s often the smart one and is often the one who solves problems and finds new ways to kill creatures. He can be seen as the tender one and often can be seen as the ’empathetic’ one.

During seasons 2 and 3, it is revealed that Sam was fed demon blood as a baby by the demon that killed his mother Mary and his girlfriend Jessica. This makes him an abomination in Heaven and gifts him with telepathic powers, made stronger by drinking demon blood. After Dean goes to hell in the end of season 4 in order to save Sam’s life, Sam becomes acquainted with a demon who slowly coaxes Sam to turn dark. In season 5, Sam struggles with the fact that the fallen angel Lucifer wants to use Sam as a vessel. Sam finally agrees in the end of the season 5, but it is found that he was planning on taking Lucifer to hell, and falls into the pit with him. It is revealed in an ending scene that Dean has moved in his a girlfriend and her son after promising Sam that he’d be normal if one of them died, but Sam watches on from the outside, still alive. It is later revealed in season 6 that Sam has lost his soul from his time in Hell and Lucifer and Michael have tortured it, which leads Sam to hallucinate and feel pain when he remembers his times in Hell. In season 7, Dean goes to Purgatory, and Sam thinks that he is dead. Dean believes that Sam did not look for him in Purgatory, and their relationship is once again strained when he comes back. However, knew monsters called Leviathans or ‘flesh-eaters’ are released and the boys and soon left to deal with them. In season 8, Sam and Dean find a bunker that later serves as their home throughout the rest of the seasons. Sam and Dean figure out a way to close the gates of Hell, but Dean fails the trials. Sam starts the trials, but due to his demon blood from earlier seasons, the trials are slowly killing him. In the end of season 8, the angels are fallen from heaven, and many of them are killed. In season 9, Sam is dying from the trials and Dean tricks Sam into allowing an angel to possess his body so that he can heal him from the inside out. In the end of season 9, Dean is killed by a villain Metatron and is turned into a demon, but Sam vows to find and fix him. In season 10, Sam successfully turns Dean back into a human, and in the end of the season, releases the Darkness in order to save his brother from the Mark of Cain.

Castiel (Misha Collins)

An angel of Heaven, Castiel first appeared in season 5 when it was revealed that he had saved Dean from Hell. He is killed in the end of the season 5 when he is blown to bits by Lucifer, but is later brought back in season 6. He serves as a guide and a friend to the boys until season 8 when he is thrown in Purgatory along with Dean. When he returns, his possesses the souls of the Leviathans, which tear him apart from the inside out. In the end of season 9, fellow angel Metatron tricks Castiel and steal his grace to make the angels fall. Castiel is left human, but is dying due to having lost his grace. He tries to help the daughter of the vessel he possesses in season 10, but is forced to steal the grace of other angels in order to survive, but at the end of season 10, gets his grace back after stealing Metatron’s. In the end of season 10, he is cursed by a powerful witch until he is fixed in the beginning of season 11.

His character can be described as ‘confused’ as he often does not understand basic human phrases. This is often highlighted through scenes in which Castiel watches porn unknowingly or strings together words as an insult such as ‘assbutt’ or binge-watches Netflix. Although in the beginning, he was obviously fond of Dean, but later comes to care for both men as a friend and brother. He can often be seen in his trademark suit an trench coat.

Crowley (Mark Sheppard)

Crowley is a demon and the ‘King of Hell’. Although his character was originally a villain, throughout the seasons, he has become a sort of ‘ally’ for the boys. In season 10, Dean is a demon and the two forge a friendship, but then in season 11, he tricks the boys and harbors the Darkness, intending to use her power for himself. His mother has come into play as one of the most powerful witches in the world and his son was briefly featured in a few episodes in earlier seasons. His character can be described as ‘down-to-earth’, cynical, and funny.

Supernatural is currently in its 11th season. While I have not given away everything, I’ve tried to give you some of the most important parts of the seasons though I’ve left out a lot. There are many more characters that I haven’t added as well, but these are the four main ones.